This pewter Levitical pitcher was used to wash the hands of the kohen (priest) in preparation for the priestly benediction of the congregation
This is perhaps the only ritual object remaining from a synagogue built in 1887 in Gemünden-am-Main in Unterfranken, Bavaria, Germany, where an organized congregation was established in the 1870s.
These burial garments were made by a bride for her husband and herself after a local tradition
The maker of these garments, Melanie Cahen Levy, was born in Luxembourg in 1884. In 1911 she married Daniel Levy, a baker from the nearby town of Bollendorf, Germany.
This is the wimpel of Joseph Wile, one of nine wimpels of the Wile family in the Spertus collection
A wimpel is a Torah binder formed from cloth wrapped around a male infant during the circumcision ceremony. The cloth is cut into four parts and stitched together to create one long banner.
In this grand hanukkiah, German-born artist Benno Elkan depicted the five Maccabean brothers (left to right) Eliezer, Jonathan, Judah, Simeon, and Jochanan.
This hanukkiah depicts Judah Maccabee, shown holding a hammer, flanked by his brothers, Jonathan (as philosopher) and Simeon (as a king).
This seder plate is one of a group of objects in the Spertus Institute collection designed and made by Friedrich Adler in the German Art Nouveau style, Jugendstil.
This Seder set was produced by Friedrich Adler, an important member of Germany's artistic avant-garde in the early 20th century.
In this series of prints, Chicago-born artist David Bennett depicts biblical subjects with a graphic energy and drama that brings biblical sagas to life.
Born in Chicago in 1941, Bennett went on to attend Harvard University, where he studied English literature and opera.
Child identity card issued to Erich Grunebaum (later Eric Greene) by the German government for the purpose of emigrating to France on a children's transport.
In the years leading up to and through World War II efforts were made to rescue Jewish children from Germany and Nazi-occupied countries.
This prisoner's uniform from Auschwitz is a tragic reminder of the cruelty and inhumanity of the Nazi concentration camps, where prisoners who were not immediately murdered endured the most extreme suffering and humiliation.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was the death site of approximately 1.1 million people.
This monumental Hanukkah lamp was created for synagogue use, modeled after a biblical menorah of pure gold. It was used at the White House Hanukkah celebration in 2003.
